1994 E420 shimmys and pulls at all speeds

[bigandluscious]

the other day i was forced to turn around in a bad area and went over some ruts and roots. i crept over them, but apparently they were too much, although i didn't notice anything at the time. later that day on the highway, the car started to shimmy and pull to the right. at low speeds it, it feels like something is grabbing the right front tire every time it makes a revolution. at highway speed, it becomes somewhat violent, and doesn't feel safe to drive. when i got the chance to take the wheel off, i found that the sway bar bracket was sheered clean right above the sway bar. that was the only thing i could see wrong.
i replaced the sway bar bracket yesterday and took it for a test drive, but it's still doing the same thing. any ideas of what the problem is?
is it possible that i didn't tighten the bracket enough? or perhaps the sway bar is bent? i don't know if that would cause what i'm experiencing. could the problem be a different part entirely?

[duxthe1]

I'd be looking for a bent wheel the bar itself shouldn't cause vibrations or shimmies.

[bigandluscious]

i don't think it's the wheel. it passed visual inspection. and i'm 99% sure the damage was done at extremely low speed (2mph?) when i went over the ruts i mentioned, which shouldn't cause any wheel damage. the right tire is more worn than the left tire, but the wear appears to be uniform, and the car rode perfectly smooth with this tire beforehand. but i'll try swapping left and right wheels to be sure.

in the meantime, any other ideas?

[benzworldrefuge]

Before removing the wheel(s) spin them and see if the tire has high spots or bubbles. Also look for mud caked into a spoke or the rim. Finally, confirm the rims are round when spinning them.

[Ferdman]

Inspect the wheel for a missing balance weight and the tire for damage. Best to have tires with the same tread depth on each axle.

[benzworldrefuge]

Originally Posted by Ferdman

Inspect the wheel for a missing balance weight

Wow. Absolutely.

[bigandluscious]

i checked for missing balance weights inside and out during my initial visual inspection. the weights were fine. and this is not a "my cousin vinny" situation either. however, i did swap the front left and right tires, and the problem swapped sides as well. Arthur Dalton suggested that it's a broken tire belt, and it looks like he nailed it. i'm relieved to find out it's an easy fix, i just feel a little silly for not trying the swap in the first place.

[Ferdman]

It's strange that a belt would slip during a low speed maneuver. Guess it was just a coincidence. Michelin tires are high quality and provide the best ride for MB automobiles.